


I can only think of you anymore

by EmmyLouWho



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Adopted Liam, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gryffindor Liam, Gryffindor Louis, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Hufflepuff Niall, M/M, Meddling Friends, Muggleborn Harry, POV Alternating, Quidditch, Sappy, Secret Relationship, Slytherin Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2018-12-10 13:32:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11692671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmyLouWho/pseuds/EmmyLouWho
Summary: “Yep,” Louis confirms. “Maybe we can play footsie under the table. As long as you don’t accidentally start feeling Liam up by mistake again.”“That was one time,” Harry groans, “and I thought we agreed never to speak of that again.”“It’s honestly a wonder that we’ve managed to keep this relationship a secret from our friends, if they weren't so horribly unobservant they would have figured it out in a second."Or: an established-hidden-relationship Hogwarts au, ft. Quidditch, cats, Niall as a wannabe detective, and lots of secret little rendezvous.





	1. One - Harry

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading :) 
> 
> Title comes from a poem by Beau Taplin.

*** 

As he’s walking down the corridor, Harry is entirely focused on trying to remember whether it was Olrich the Old or Vlad the Vulgar who had been the instigator of the Battle of the Salamander, and so he nearly topples over when someone suddenly pulls him from behind. He barely manages to hold on to his book bag as he is dragged backwards behind a large tapestry and into the hidden alcove behind it. Re-arranging his limbs back to their proper standing position, Harry huffs out a fond laugh. 

“You really need to stop doing that.”

“Oh, really?” Louis says, smirking. He still hasn’t removed his hand from where it’s gripping the back of Harry’s jumper, and he uses it to pull him in closer. 

Harry goes willingly, letting his book bag drop to the ground with a thump. 

“Yes,” he says, wrapping his arms around Louis’ neck, “one of these days you’re going to give me a heart attack, sneaking up on me like that.”

“Ah,” grins Louis, “can’t help it. It’s my Gryffindor blood, you see. Makes sneaking around very appealing.”

Harry has a witty retort sitting on the tip of his tongue, but it melts away as he notices that Louis’ attention is focused on his mouth. _One track mind_ , he thinks wryly, leaning forward and joining their foreheads together.  
“Hi,” he whispers, before pressing his lips to Louis’ softly. 

“Hi,” Louis whispers back, “I missed you at breakfast today.” 

“Soz, Finley stopped me to chat about a new play he wants to run for the match next week, and then it was taking so long I just ended up sitting at our table with him so I’d at least get to eat something before class.”

“ _Soz?_ ” Louis says, sounding suspicious. “Is that another one of your Muggle catchphrases? I thought I would have heard them all by now.”

Harry laughs. “It’s not a _catchphrase_ , Lou, honestly, I keep telling you comic books aren’t an accurate representation of normal Muggle behaviour. It is Muggle _slang_ though. It’s short for sorry.” 

“Short for sorry? Are Muggles really so impatient that they can’t even say a two-syllable word?” 

“The wizarding community like shortening words just as much, don’t try and pretend like you don’t!“

Louis sticks his tongue out, petulant as always, and combs his fingers through Harry’s curls. 

“You’re such a busy bee these days, Haz, it’s a wonder you have any time to see me anymore.”

“I’ll always have time for you, you nutter, don’t worry.”

Louis leans in and kisses him again, softly this time, barely managing to contain his pleased smile. 

“I’ll be there for dinner though, I promise!” Harry says. “We’re at your table tonight, yeah?”

Since their friendship group was split among the houses, they had decided early on that it was fairest that they rotate where they sat for meals. As such, they dutifully switched between Slytherin for Harry, Gryffindor for Louis and Liam, and Hufflepuff for Niall. Louis had tried to argue that Gryffindor should get two rotations, seeing as there were two of them in that house, but he’d been unanimously overruled, with even Liam agreeing that the food was somehow always better at the Hufflepuff table, and there was less chance of being the victim of a rogue Canary Cream at the Slytherin table. 

“Yep,” Louis confirms. “Maybe we can play footsie under the table. As long as you don’t accidentally start feeling Liam up by mistake again.”

“That was _one time_ ,” Harry groans, “and I thought we agreed never to speak of that again.” 

“It’s honestly a wonder that we’ve managed to keep this relationship a secret from our friends. If they weren't so horribly unobservant they would have figured it out in a second. Especially with your creepy frog face, Hazza.” 

“Oi, I do not have a _creepy frog face_ , shut up!” Harry splutters indignantly. “And like you’re any better, Tomlinson, don’t think I don’t see the way you look at me.” 

“And what way is that?” Louis asks teasingly. 

“Like I’m your favourite person in the world, and I’m the only person you ever want to snog again, and like you want to have a whole quidditch team’s worth of little Styles-Tomlinson babies with me.” 

“Merlin, no!” Louis says, looking horrified. “Is that what you think?” 

Harry is frozen for just a second before Louis continues. “It’ll be Tomlinson-Styles, obviously. But the rest sounds pretty accurate.” 

He winks, and Harry rolls his eyes half-heartedly in response, but somewhere deep inside his stomach he can feel a tiny fire burning bright at the implications of that statement. They may only be seventeen, but Harry _knows_ that Louis is it for him, that despite the fact that they’ve only been official - albeit secret - boyfriends for a few months, they’re both just as serious about this. 

“I’ve got to go,” Harry says, contradicting his words by wriggling impossibly closer to Louis. “I can’t be late for class." 

“Haz, you have History of Magic. Binns would literally not notice if you turned up late and wearing a pink tutu,” Louis deadpans. 

Harry giggles, and looks down to fiddle with the hem of Louis’ uniform jumper. “Still.” 

Louis sighs, and lets go of Harry’s hand. “Fine, then, leave me if you must. I suppose I’d better head up to the Tower anyway and try to do some of my readings before double Potions this afternoon. Liam will be fretting. See you at dinner?” 

Harry nods, looking up at Louis cheekily as he bends over to pick up his abandoned book bag. “I’ll be the cute one in green!” 

“Oi, that’s quite enough from you!“ Louis says, cheeks a delightful pink. He reaches in and gives Harry one more quick peck, then pushes him back out into the hallway. 

Harry grins all the way to class. 

_***_

He makes it into the History of Magic classroom with seconds to spare. He slides into the desk next to Niall, giving him a sharp elbow in the ribs to wake him up from where he’d been snoring softly, face-down on the desk. 

Niall jumps, nearly falling out of his chair. 

“Hey mate, class hasn’t even started yet, why are you so tired?” 

Niall groans in response, rubbing his hand over his face. 

“Some smartarse charmed all the alarm clocks in the Hufflepuff dormitories to start singing every time the clock struck twelve. Whenever we tried to stop them, they sprouted legs and ran away… By the time we finally trapped the damn things it was almost dawn.” 

“That’s brilliant!” Harry laughs. 

“You would think that, Slytherin boy,” Niall says darkly. 

“Aww, Nialler, why don’t you go back to your nap. You always get cranky when you’re tired.” 

Instead of putting his head back down on the desk, Niall sits up properly and squints his eyes at him. “What’s got you so smiley then?” 

“What do you mean?” Harry asks, very aware of the fact that he’s still grinning. 

“You know exactly what I mean,” Niall accuses. “You’re even more annoyingly chipper this morning than usual.” 

“I don’t know what to tell you, Niall,” Harry says, slinging his arm around his best friend. “I guess I just enjoyed my walk to class this morning.” 

Niall hums suspiciously, but he lets the subject drop, resting his head on Harry’s shoulder and closing his eyes. Within seconds, he's snoring softly. Harry casts a quick silencing spell on him as Professor Binns floats into the classroom, and pulls out his quill so he can take notes with his free hand. 

He manages to pay attention for the first half an hour, but once Binns starts outlining the timeline of the Great Goblin Wars for the third time this term, Harry lets his mind wander. It doesn’t take long before his thoughts turn to Louis. 

If he is being totally honest, he isn’t sure if his thoughts ever really get very far away from Louis these days. 

It was like every time Harry closed his eyes, he saw the imprint of Louis. Of his eyes, staring at Harry across the dinner table. Of his cheek, pressed against Harry’s pillow, chest rising and falling slowly as he sleeps. Of his voice, singing the latest Celestina Warbeck hit obnoxiously loudly in the shower. 

Harry’s never experienced this before, never felt something _so much_ , like he was only just managing to keep it contained within his body. Sometimes it felt like his magic was physically reacting to it, swirling around inside him so potently that he was worried he might shooting sparks out of his fingertips if he wasn’t careful. 

It might have been overwhelming, _scary_ even, if it wasn’t so wonderful. 

Him and Louis have been friends since first year, back when they were just scared little eleven year olds in too-big robes; and they’ve been practically inseparable since that first moment when Harry had tripped over the hem of his too-big robes, falling right into the waiting arms of Louis Tomlinson. After that, he’d never really left. 

_***_

_— September 1st, first year —_

_Harry is struggling to walk along the narrow aisle of the Hogwarts Express, carrying his cat Zoe in her travel carrier in one hand, and the package of ham sandwiches his mum had packed him for the train journey in the other._

_She’s been a bit worried about his departure for the last few weeks, prone to spontaneous cuddling and getting a bit teary whenever she saw him packing and re-packing his school trunk. Harry had thought it might have been a bit easier for her this time, seeing as how she’d already sent his sister off to Hogwarts a few years prior, but apparently not. She’s been moaning about being an “empty-nester” since June. At least Harry knows where he’s gotten his dramatic streak from._

_The cat carrier is feeling heavier the longer Harry carries it, and he tries to adjust his grip without letting the sandwiches slip from his fingers. He manages, but he barely has time to feel victorious before he’s suddenly falling forward, one foot caught in the hem of his brand new robes._

_He yelps, dropping his lunch so he can hold Zoe’s carrier with both hands and shield her from the fall. He’s surprised when instead of hitting the ground, he feels himself collide with another person. Warm arms wrap around him, probably trying to keep him upright, but the momentum is too much, and they both crash to the ground._

_Harry’s still got Zoe held tightly against him, and he immediately pulls back to peep though the window of her carrier. She miaows at him, licking one paw and looking totally unbothered._

_He looks up again, to assess the situation he’s found himself in, and sees a boy sprawled in front of him. He’s wearing robes that look brand new too, so Harry thinks he’s probably also a first year. He’s looking at Harry curiously, head tilted to one side, and he’s rubbing his elbow absentmindedly. He must have hit it when they fell._

__Oh god._ _

_Harry hasn't even gotten to Hogwarts yet, and he’s already managed to knock someone over. He’s pretty sure he’s about to get yelled at, or maybe _worse_. What if this boy is so mad that he turns Harry into a frog, or something? He’s not really sure what the protocol is for settling grievances at magic school. _

_He suddenly realises he’s sitting on something squishy, and shuffles over to pull out his sandwiches from underneath him, now looking awfully worse for wear. He pulls a face, and the other boy must notice, because he laughs. Shocked, Harry makes eye contact with him and winces. “Oops.”_

_“Hi,” says the boy. “Sorry about your sandwiches.”_

_“Um,” says Harry. “Better them than you. I’m so sorry about knocking you over, I’m really not normally so clumsy, I swear, it’s just I had so much to carry, and I’m still getting used to these _robes _—“___

_“It’s alright,” says the boy, cutting him off. “No harm done. I’m Louis, by the way.”_

_“I’m Harry.”_

_“Shall we get up off the floor, then, Harry?” Louis asks. “Only I think we might be blocking the aisle.”_

_Harry looks up, and sure enough, there's a clump of annoyed-looking older students standing there watching them. He flushes, and jumps up, dusting off his robes._

_“I was just going to find somewhere to sit, d’you want to come with me?” Louis asks._

_Harry nods, feeling dazed, and lets Louis take his arm and drag him along the train until they find an empty compartment._

_Harry sits the cat carrier down on one of the seats, and lets out a sigh of relief. He can't believe he hasn’t even gotten to school yet, and he’s already managed to make an idiot of himself. Louis seems nice enough, though, considering he didn’t punch Harry or put a spell on him or anything after he knocked him over. Maybe this won’t be so bad, after all._

_“D’you mind if I let my cat out?” he asks Louis. “She likes to look out the windows when we’re travelling.”_

_“Nah, go for it mate,” Louis says. “What’s her name?”_

_“Zoe,” says Harry, lifting the black cat out and holding her to his chest._

_“Hiya, Zoe,” Louis says, reaching a hand out questioningly and then petting her carefully when Harry nods. Zoe miaows, and then settles down on Harry’s lap, kneading her paws into his thighs._

_“Are you a first year too, then?”_

_“Yeah,” Harry says, smiling shyly. “I’m proper nervous.”_

_“You’ll be alright, Harry,” Louis says, looking absolutely certain. “You just stick with me, I’ll look after you.”_

_“Oh,” Harry says, feeling awkward again. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I’m sure I can-”_

_“Nah, I have loads of little siblings, I like looking after people,” Louis explains. “Besides, you have the cutest cat in the world! Mum wouldn’t let me bring ours with me, she said my siblings would miss him too much, so I really just want to be friends with you so I can hang out with Zoe.” He winks, and Harry grins. _Friends.__

_They’re interrupted when the door to the compartment slides open again. There’s two boys standing there, one blond and grinning broadly, and the other with curly brown hair and looking nervous._

_“Hiya,” the blond one says. “I’m Niall, and this is Liam. D’you mind if we come sit with you? We were next door but some fourth years chased us out.”_

_“Sure,” says Louis. “Come in, I’m Louis.”_

_“I’m Harry,” Harry says, giving a little wave._

_“Oh, what a lovely cat!” Niall says, plopping himself down next to Harry. “Did you know black cats can read minds?”_

_“That’s a myth, actually,” Liam pipes up, but Harry notices he’s looking at Zoe warily._

_After that, the train journey seems to go quite quickly. Liam offers everyone his bag of Smarties, which Niall and Louis are both fascinated by. Harry’s privately relieved that he’s not the only one coming from a Muggle background, as Liam subsequently confesses that he was adopted as a baby, and he’s not sure whether his birth parents were magical or not. Harry’s heard that there were some people in the wizarding world that discriminated against Muggles, but neither Louis nor Niall seem to mind, pestering them with questions about Muggle snacks, and what their old schools were like, and “So you mean to say you’ve _never_ ridden a broom before? Oh, just you wait!”. _

_He’s feeling a lot more relaxed now, but when he feels the train shudder to a halt, Harry can’t help but to feel the nerves start to creep back in again. The four boys gather their things quickly, joining the line of students clambering off the train noisily._

_Harry takes a deep breath, and Louis offers him his elbow._

_“Can’t have you tripping over again, now can we?” he says with a cheeky grin._

_Harry huffs out a laugh, but he links his elbow through Louis’ anyway. They disembark the train like that, grinning, and then all of a sudden, they’re on a boat, and Harry is heading straight into this brand new chapter of his life. He looks at the three boys sitting beside him, and he thinks _bring it on.__

_____ _ _ _

_____***_ _ _ _ _

_____ _ _ _

_____Harry half-runs down the Great Hall, skidding to a stop in front of the Gryffindor table and throws his book bag down on the bench seat._ _ _ _ _

_____“Did I miss the pie?” he pants, clutching at his chest as he tries to catch his breath. He cranes his neck to look down the long table, but he can’t see any sign of his favourite shepherd’s pie. He’s been looking forward to it all week, and if he’s _missed_ it…_ _ _ _ _

_____To his dismay, the big serving dishes on the table are only holding trifle and the remains of a raspberry cheesecake. Niall and Louis are both tucking into a big slice, Niall’s school tie thrown haphazardly over his shoulder._ _ _ _ _

_____“Hello to you too, Harry,” Liam says dryly, picking at his own bowl of trifle._ _ _ _ _

_____“Sorry, hi. I got held up at the greenhouses, Professor Longbottom wouldn’t stop talking to me about the plans for the new magical herb garden he’s building, and then I ran all the way here…”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Hey, Haz, don’t worry, I saved you some dinner.” Louis holds out a plate with a massive piece of shepherd’s pie._ _ _ _ _

_____“Oh, Merlin, I love you,” Harry says, and then freezes. Louis’ head is down, so Harry can’t see his face, but the tips of his ears have gone pink. Harry was usually pretty good at censoring himself in front of their friends, so he’s blaming the hunger for letting that one slip._ _ _ _ _

_____“Not as much as you love me, right?” Niall says, and Harry lets out the breath he didn't realise he was holding._ _ _ _ _

_____“Ah, you’re still my favourite Hufflepuff,” he says, “even if you didn’t save me any pie.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“I don’t save food for people who are keeping secrets from me.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“What?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“I know something’s up with you Haz, and if you’re not going to tell me, I will simply have to find out for myself.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Aww, leave him alone,” says Liam, “if he does have a secret then that’s his business.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Thank you, Liam,” Harry says primly, decidedly not looking in Louis’ direction._ _ _ _ _

_____“Nope,” says Niall, “Harry doesn't keep secrets from me.” He leans in closer, and Harry flinches. “I think he’s got himself a secret boyfriend.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“You’re being ridiculous,” Harry says, busying himself with his pie. Louis has put a heating charm on the plate, so his food was still nice and warm. Merlin, his boy is the best._ _ _ _ _

_____“We’ll see,” says Niall ominously. “Lou, you’ll help me get to the bottom of this, won’t you?”_ _ _ _ _

_____Louis looks stricken, fork frozen halfway to his mouth. He flicks his gaze up to meet Harry’s. “Um,” he says._ _ _ _ _

_____“Oh, come on, Tommo, you’re always up for a bit of mischief,” Niall needles, poking him in the arm._ _ _ _ _

_____“Alright, Nialler,” he says, “I’m in.”_ _ _ _ _

_____Harry stares at him in shock, but Louis just winks from behind Niall’s back._ _ _ _ _

_____“What about you, Leemo?” Niall asks, throwing one arm over Liam’s shoulders._ _ _ _ _

_____“Nope, I’m staying _way_ out of this,” Liam laughs. “I’ve got too much on my plate already.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Well that’s your own fault, really, isn’t it Liam? That’s what you get for signing up to be Head Boy!”_ _ _ _ _

_____“I didn’t _sign up_ to be Head Boy, Louis, I was _chosen_ by the Headmistress, and —”_ _ _ _ _

_____“A mere technicality. You’re the top student in our House, a volunteer on every student society, and you were McGonagall’s not-so-secret favourite Prefect for the last two years. You signed yourself up for the position.”_ _ _ _ _

_____Harry tunes out their bickering, a tired old argument that he’s heard over and over ever since the day in the summer holidays that Liam had sent them all owls to tell them he’d gotten the Head Boy spot._ _ _ _ _

_____He picks up his fork and attacks his meal, nearly moaning as he eats the first bite of pie. He doesn’t know how they do it, but the house elves manage to produce the perfect ratio of pastry, filling, and mashed potato. It’s even better than his mum’s, not that he’d ever dare to tell her that._ _ _ _ _

_____He glances up, and sees Louis watching him, eyes soft. Harry quickly checks to make sure that Niall and Liam are still preoccupied, and then he blows him a tiny kiss. Louis immediately brings his hands up to his face, trying to hide his grin behind his hands, and Harry _loves_ this. One day, he’ll hold Louis’ hand in front of everyone while they eat their tea, and he’ll love that too, but right now, he’s enjoying this, keeping this just for them, precious and soft. _ _ _ _ _

_____He turns back to his pie, happiness fizzing through his veins, and he waits._ _ _ _ _

_____ _ _ _

_____***_ _ _ _ _

_____ _ _ _

_____Later that night, Harry finds himself once again pushed up against a wall, this time in a hidden corridor behind a suit of armour. He can feel the cold from the stone seeping through his robes, while his front is kept thoroughly warm by the armful of boy crowded against him. The soft buzzing of the _muffliato_ charm around them as an extra layer of protection rounds out the familiar sensation. _ _ _ _ _

_____Ever since he’d started dating Louis, Harry has spent an unprecedented amount of time pressed up against the stone walls of the castle, and he's become startlingly familiar with many of its secreted hiding places. He can’t say that he minds._ _ _ _ _

_____“Why did you - ah - why did you say you’d help Niall try and figure out my secret?”_ _ _ _ _

_____Louis grins against Harry’s neck, pausing from where’s he’s been sucking a rather large love bite into his skin._ _ _ _ _

_____“Well,” he says slowly, kissing up towards Harry’s jaw, “if I’m _”helping”_ him work it out, then I can make sure he goes down the complete wrong direction.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Ah,” Harry says, threading his fingers through Louis’ hair. “So you’re a spy, then? My very own James Bond.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“James who?”_ _ _ _ _

_____“He - never mind.”_ _ _ _ _

_____Louis smirks, and presses his thumb against the bruise blooming on Harry’s neck. Harry makes a mental note to remember to cover that up later. At this rate, he’s going to have to brew up _another_ batch of concealment potion this weekend, or else come up with excuses for Niall as to why he’s wearing his scarf inside. _Again._ _ _ _ _ _

_____“Now can we stop talking about Niall?” Louis asks, just a hint of desperation in his voice. “I’m doing some of my best work here, and you’re insisting on making conversation about _Niall._ If I was a lesser man I may start feeling insecure.” _ _ _ _ _

_____Harry laughs, and presses their lips together, kissing him soundly for a minute before pulling back with a smack. “You may proceed Mr. Tomlinson.”_ _ _ _ _

_____“Why, thank you, Mr. Styles,” Louis says graciously, and then with a wicked grin on his face, he proceeds to shut Harry up _quite_ effectively. _ _ _ _ _


	2. Two - Louis

Louis wakes suddenly to the sound of someone pulling the curtains of his four-poster bed shut. He blinks sleepily as he feels the mattress dip, and pulls his arms free from his duvet cocoon so he can reach out and pull his boy close. 

“Hey,” he says groggily, “how did you get in here?”

Harry snuggles in close, nestling his cold hands in against Louis’ front. 

“I talked the Fat Lady into letting me in,” he explains, breath fanning over Louis’ face. He can smell minty toothpaste and just a hint of Harry’s cologne. 

“Really?”

“I mean, I had to sit through fifteen minutes of the new one-woman play she’s working on, and I had to agree to give her constructive feedback, but yeah, after the third time I told her it was ‘quite the dramatic masterpiece’ she got so distracted from all the praise that she forgot to ask me the password.” 

“I swear, those dimples will get you anywhere!” 

He pokes Harry’s cheek, right where they would appear. Harry giggles, and Louis feels like he’s _glowing_ , like his insides are shining so brightly that there is no way that it couldn’t be seen from the outside. 

“Can I stay here with you tonight, Lou?” Harry asks, which is pretty redundant if you ask Louis, since now that he has his gorgeous boy in his bed, he doesn’t plan on letting him go any time soon. 

“Of course, love,” he says instead, “Aiden’s off with his girlfriend anyway, and what with Liam having his own Head Boy dorm to stay in now, it’s a little empty in here these days. I’m sure I can make room for one more person, even if he is a Slytherin.” 

Harry glares half-heartedly at him in the dark, but he doesn’t make any of their usual banter back, just crawling in beside Louis silently and pulling the red and gold duvet up to cover both of them. 

The Gryffindor dormitory beds weren’t particularly large (unlike the Slytherin ones, which were inexplicably doubles - not that Louis was still bitter after discovering that fact, not at all), but neither of them minded the excuse to cuddle. Harry likes being the little spoon, and Louis likes indulging him. 

“Everything okay?” Louis asks, lacing their fingers together carefully. 

Harry groans. “Yeah, just…quidditch practice really sucked tonight.”

Louis runs his thumb over the back of Harry’s hand, and waits silently for him to continue. 

“Finley is like, _so_ stressed about the match next week, and he’s taking it out on all of us. He’s putting so much pressure on everyone, and he’s working the team so hard. He even made Violet cry today, and you know how tough she is.”

“Sorry.”

“It is what it is,” Harry says, smirking as Louis runs a hand over his chest, where his magical tattoo is shimmering in response. He’s made sure to actually wear his uniform shirt buttoned up properly all the time this term, because he’s secretly a bit afraid of the yelling that would ensue if the Headmistress got a glimpse of it. Even though he’s of age now, tattoos are still frowned upon at Hogwarts, and he has his Quidditch Captain position to maintain. 

“But really,” Harry continues, “it’s just for another week, and I always try and channel my frustration into my bat, anyway. Plus I have you to make me feel better, so I’m rather lucky.”

Louis privately thinks that he’s the lucky one.

“What about you, Captain?” Harry asks, yawning into their shared pillow. “How’s the Gryffindor team looking this year?”

Louis shrugs. “We don’t have our first match for another month, so I’m still trying to get the newbies to fit in properly. Honestly, I’m not too sure our team will be that strong this year, now that Flinders and Davey have gone, which is a bit disappointing since it’s my last year on the team and as captain, and I’d have really liked to have had the Cup this year.”

“Don’t be so negative, Lou. You’re an amazing captain, I’m sure you’ll whip them all into shape.” 

“Thanks, Haz.” Louis tilts his head back so he can give Harry a single kiss on the jaw. “But don’t worry, even at our weakest we’ll still fly circles around you lot!”

He’s not looking, but he can sense Harry rolling his eyes, and he smiles. Louis tucks his head back against Harry, his faded Rolling Stones t-shirt soft against his cheek. 

He falls asleep like that, mid-conversation, his body tucked neatly against Harry’s like they were two teenage-wizard-shaped puzzle pieces. 

He dreams of golden snitches and green eyes. 

 

*** 

 

Louis’ pretty sure that Christmas seems to come earlier every year. 

It feels like it was just a few weeks ago that he was stepping off the train to start his last year at Hogwarts, but now November is already melting into December, and Louis doesn’t feel prepared. 

The tinsel is already starting to appear around the castle, and he could have sworn that he had heard a suit of armour humming “Jingle Bells” the other day. As well as the extra decorations, December always seems to bring a certain _fervour_ to their professors, who suddenly seem set on giving all their students more extra work that it seems humanly possible to complete before the holiday break. 

What with all the craziness, Louis has managed to forget about Niall’s self-proclaimed quest to figure out Harry’s “secret”, and so he’s caught entirely unawares when Niall mounts an ambush one evening. 

Louis’ sitting with Harry in the Gryffindor common room, ostensibly working through their assigned reading for Potions, but really they’ve ended up both sitting on one of the big squishy chairs in front of the fireplace, textbooks abandoned on the floor next to them. Harry’s got a Muggle reindeer ears headband on his head, and he’s got Louis pressed to his front, arms held to his sides to try and stop him from knocking them off again, and they’re both giggling, so they don’t hear Niall coming until he’s already screeching in Harry’s ear. 

“AHA!” 

They startle apart, Louis pulling back to see Niall peering over Harry’s shoulder at him with an excited look on his face which drops as soon as they make eye contact. 

“Oh, it’s just you, Louis.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Louis says dryly. He fiddles with his fringe, and hopes his cheeks aren’t as red as they feel. He could always blame it on the fire, anyway, he thinks. 

“I thought I’d finally caught Harry with his secret boy,” Niall says, actually sounding disappointed. 

“Nah, Nialler,” Harry says, pulling Louis into a tight hug. “How am I supposed to have a secret boy when I spend all of my time with this idiot?” 

“Oi!” Louis says, laughing as he tries to swat at Harry’s headband again. 

Niall just shakes his head. “I’m on to you Styles.” 

Louis looks at Harry, who promptly starts giggling. Niall throws his hands up in the air, and walks away, mumbling something to himself under his breath. 

“What was he doing in here, anyway?” asks Harry. 

“Probably visiting the other Niall again,” says Louis. “I’ve seen them in here together a bit, lately.” 

Harry hums, curling one hand around Louis’ hip and dipping the tips of his fingers underneath the hem of his woollen jumper. 

“I’m glad that it’s easier for us all to visit each other in different houses, these days,” Harry says. “Not like in the olden days where you weren’t ever allowed in a different common room.” 

“You’re just glad that you don’t have to spend all your time in that green dungeon of yours,” Louis says. 

“Heeeyyy,” Harry pouts. “Our common room is very nice.” 

“If it’s so _nice_ , then why are you here, in the _superior_ common room, so much?”

“You _know_ why,” Harry says, and Louis grins. 

“You liiiike me,” he says, and Harry laughs. 

“You’ll do, I suppose.”  


***

_September 1st, First Year_

Harry feels sick. He's a little bit worried that he might throw up all over the front of his new uniform. 

What if he falls over in front of everyone? What if he does something wrong and embarrasses himself? Professor McGonagall had said that all they had to do was put on a hat, and it would tell them which house they were supposed to be in. That doesn’t sound too hard, but Harry is sure that he could find a way to mess it up. What if he puts the hat on and it decides that he shouldn’t be here? Harry really doesn’t want to go home. He’s just feeling like he might start hyperventilating when he feels a hand on his shoulder. 

“Y’alright?” Louis says. He looks nervous too, but nowhere near as much as Harry feels. 

“Um,” says Harry. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right here behind you.” 

Right. He can do this. 

Professor McGonagall has just called out “Rogerson, Mary,” which means that it’ll be Harry’s turn soon. 

“Hufflepuff!” announces the Hat, and the far table erupts in cheers. 

“Which House do you think you’ll be in?” asks Harry. 

“Gryffindor, I reckon,” Louis says, “but you can never know for sure, can you?” 

Harry frowns. “I hope we’re in the same House.” 

It would be just Harry’s luck that he’s managed to make a friend, only to be separated from them straight away by an omniscient piece of headwear and an old-fashioned House system. 

“That would be fun,” Louis agrees. “But we’ll be friends no matter what, yeah?” 

Harry gives him a shy smile. 

The line shuffles forward again, and suddenly Harry is at the front. 

“Styles, Harry,” McGonagall calls. 

“Good luck,” Louis whispers, squeezing his arm before pushing him forward. 

Harry walks quickly out, eyes on the ground. He puts the hat on when McGonagall hands it to him, and holds his breath. 

“Hmm,” says a voice, startling him. “I can see a lot of potential for you. Charming, clever… I think it must be SLYTHERIN!”

Harry lets out the breath, and McGonagall removes the Hat from his head, and points him in the direction of the Slytherin table. A group of older students wearing green and silver ties clap for him as he sits down. 

“Tomlinson, Louis,” is up next, and Harry watches as Louis crosses the Hall. The Hat barely touches his head before it’s screaming out “Gryffindor!”, and Harry can’t help but feel a little disappointed. 

Louis waves at him as he walks past, joining the Gryffindor table and grinning at the applause. 

Harry picks at his dinner, feeling lonely and scared. He perks up a bit during dessert, when one of the older students, Nick, introduces himself and offers Harry a slice of his pumpkin pie. Nick’s a Prefect, apparently, and he tells Harry about a secret passage that apparently exists behind the first year dorms. 

After their dessert plates disappear, Harry gets a surprise when Louis plops down on the bench next to him. 

“Hiya, Harold,” he says, cheerfully. “How’s it going over here?” 

“Alright,” Harry says. “D’you think there’ll be this much food every time?” 

Louis laughs. “Dunno,” he says, “I guess we’ll find out at breakfast tomorrow.” 

“First years, follow me!” Nick calls. A small crowd of students already surrounds him. 

“I’d better get back,” Louis says, gesturing to where the Gryffindor prefect is also gathering first years to take them to their dorms. “But we’ll have breakfast together in the morning, yeah?” 

“Okay,” Harry says, grinning at Louis as he takes off at a run. 

He follows Nick through endless hallways, sure that he’s never going to be able to find his way around the castle by himself. When he eventually climbs into his new bed, he’s exhausted, but he also feels much lighter than he had that morning. 

Maybe this whole magic boarding school thing will be okay, after all. 

 

***

 

“Can you believe it’s our last year here?” Harry asks, muffling a yawn. 

Louis looks up at him from where he’s sprawled out on the floor, head pillowed against Harry’s legs and toes warming against the fire. It’s late, way too late for them to still be awake, but they’re the only ones left in the common room, and Louis knows how much Harry loves sitting by the fire and enjoying the peace and quiet that only happens when the rest of Louis’ house is already asleep upstairs. 

“I know,” Louis says, “it’s so strange to think that next year, this castle will still be here but we won’t be in it. There’ll still be feasts and quidditch matches and little first years getting trapped on the staircases, and Hogwarts will go on without us.”

“We’ll be off in the _real world_ ”, Harry muses. “Maybe we’ll be so busy with our very important real life jobs next year that we won’t have time to miss Hogwarts.” 

“I dunno,” Louis says, “I don’t think I’ll ever be too busy to miss getting to be with my mates all day long, not to mention the _food_.”

Harry laughs. 

“I’m serious, Harold,” Louis says, crawling up to sit properly next to his boyfriend. “I’m hopeless at cooking, what am I going to do with myself after we leave here?” 

“I’ll cook for you,” Harry says earnestly. “I’m actually quite good at cooking. Mum’s taught me heaps of Muggle recipes, and I’ve learned some good spells for it too. I’ve always wanted to do domestic stuff with my partner one day.” 

Louis gets a sudden vision of Harry stood in a tiny kitchen, flour dusting his cheek as he uses his wand to chop vegetables. He can picture Harry sitting across from him at a small dining table, covered with a checkered tablecloth and decorated with a candle; Harry cuddled up against him on a sofa, looking out at a flat of their very own, decorated with photos of their friends and their families and with Harry’s books and Louis’s record collection. He can see Harry hosting dinner parties for their friends, holding a glass of firewhiskey and grinning at Louis from across the room.  
Louis can see it all, and he _wants_. He wants everything with Harry. 

“Are you… Harry, are you saying that you want us to live together after we leave school?”

Harry turns pink, shy all of a sudden. “Erm, sorry, I didn’t mean to —”

“Love,” Louis cuts him off, grinning. “I would really, _really_ , like to move in with you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he says, “really.” 

Harry lights up. “Oh,” he says, eyes sparkling. “Oh, Lou, d’you think we could get a cute little flat together somewhere, one with a good kitchen so I can cook meals for us when we both get home from work every night, and I can bake on the weekends, and we can invite our families over to visit, and, oh! Maybe we can finally get a puppy! One that we can take for walks, and it can be a friend for Zoe! And we can have a _giant_ bed with loads of pillows, and —”

“Breathe, love,” Louis says, and they just sit and grin at each other for a second. “I want all of that. I want to go shopping with you to pick out cutlery and bed sheets, and I want to do the dishes for you after you cook, and I want to eat breakfast with you every morning and go to sleep next to you every night. That’s exactly what I want.” 

Harry pounces on him, knocking him over, and Louis’ yelp is muffled by Harry’s mouth on his. He kisses him, but it’s tricky because neither of them can stop smiling. Their teeth are clicking together, and Harry’s lips are chapped, but Louis can’t help but think that this might be his favourite kiss ever. He rolls them over, so they’re lying on their sides, and laces his fingers in between Harry’s. 

“I love you, you know,” Harry says. 

“I do know,” Louis says, squeezing Harry’s hand tightly, “and I love you too. One day I’ll shout it from the rooftop - from the fucking Astronomy tower - so every single person here knows how much I love you, Harry Dimples Styles.” 

Harry grins at him, soft and sweet, and Louis can’t help but lean in and press their mouths together again. Right now, he doesn’t even care about the fact that they’re still in public, lying on the floor of the Gryffindor Dormitory, or that he’s probably going to get rug burn from the ancient carpet, because his thoughts are just one long stream of _HarryHarryHarryHarry_. 

They lie there together, limbs entwined and kissing unhurriedly, until Harry suddenly sits up straight, his oversized t-shirt shifting to reveal one bare shoulder. 

“I have an idea,” he says, pulling Louis up with a grin. “Put some shoes on, let’s go.” 

“Go where?” 

“You’ll see. C’mon.”

They creep out of the Gryffindor dormitory, tiptoeing through the empty common room, lit up only by the flickering fireplace, and climb out the portrait hole together, ignoring the Fat Lady’s disapproving looks. 

Harry pulls Louis down the hallways, trying to suppress his giggles as they duck through the shadows. Normally Louis would be whining, wanting to know where they were going, but he’s distracted by the fact that they are actually holding hands, in the middle of the Hogwarts corridors. Sure, it was the middle of the night, and there wasn’t anybody around to see, but _still_. For a split second, he allows himself to imagine the same corridor, full of his classmates, laughing with his friends as he holds tight to Harry’s hand. _Soon_. 

He shakes his head to shake the thoughts away, and nearly crashes into Harry, who has stopped walking abruptly. 

“Here,” he says, looking at Louis proudly. 

“What am I looking at?” Louis asks cautiously. Harry is gesturing to an ordinary-looking stone wall on the fourth floor. There weren’t any classrooms in this section of the castle, so students didn’t really go here very often, and neither did Filch, apparently, judging by the thick layer of dust covering the wall. 

“This,” Harry pauses dramatically, “is where we are going to make our mark on Hogwarts. _Literally_.”

“Harry,” says Louis, delighted, “are you suggesting that we _vandalise_ the castle?”

“Some might say vandalise, I would say improve its general appearance by adding some decoration!”

Louis claps his hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter, and he watches as Harry pulls out his wand. 

Harry casts a spell, brow furrowed in concentration, and Louis watches as he makes a shallow carving into the wall. After about thirty seconds, Louis realises what Harry’s writing, and he probably should have expected it, honestly, considering how well he knows Harry, but he can’t help but feel like he’s just been hit with a stunning spell. Harry pulls back from the wall, looking proud of his handiwork, and the _Harry <3’s Louis_ engraving is shining brightly in the middle of the otherwise dusty wall. 

“ _Harry_ ,” Louis says, reaching out to grab his hand. “What a good little Slytherin bad boy,” he says, teasing to cover up exactly how stupidly sappy he’s feeling right now. Harry smiles at him like he knows exactly what Louis’ doing, and squeezes his hand. 

“We’ll never forget Hogwarts,” Harry explains. “So much has happened for us within these walls. Now there’ll always be a little piece of us in Hogwarts, and the castle will never forget us either.”

Louis wipes at the tear making its way down his cheek. “Don’t say a thing,” he warns Harry with a laugh. “It’s dusty down here, that’s all.”


	3. Three - Harry

***

 

Harry’s never really given much thought to the afterlife, but he thinks that if there is a heaven, it must feel a little bit like this.

He’s got a tummy full of white chocolate mud cake - the same flavour that Louis always requests every year for his birthday cake - and he’s surrounded by his best mates, all lounging by the fire in the Gryffindor common room with a shared bottle of firewhiskey that’s more than half empty at this point. 

Harry feels warm, and cozy, and like he never wants to move from this sofa ever again. A small part of his brain points out that gatherings like these are limited now, that their time all together is finite and coming to an end sooner rather than later. He briefly considers attempting to summon his camera so he could take a photo to capture this for posterity, but ultimately he decides he’d rather just try and absorb the moment. He can’t imagine ever forgetting this feeling, anyway.

It’s been a tradition ever since first year for their little group to hold a little early birthday celebration for Louis, before they all go home for the Christmas break. Over the years, thanks to Louis’ popularity throughout the school (and Niall’s reputation for always coming up with a stash of alcohol) the ‘little’ celebration has grown into an much bigger annual party, with basically the whole of Hogwarts cramming into the Gryffindor common room to celebrate. At this point, Harry thinks even the teachers must know about it, because Professor Longbottom had given him a knowing wink when he’d left class that afternoon, telling him to enjoy his night and to tell Louis happy birthday from him. 

True to expectations, Harry _had_ had a good night. The party had been a lot of fun. They’d charmed the record player in the corner to take requests, like a magical jukebox of sorts, Niall had provided a huge batch of his famous ‘mystery punch’, and Harry had managed to convince different groups of people to serenade Louis with ‘Happy Birthday’ no less than eleven times. A success all round, really. 

After Ed and the other Niall had gotten up on one of the tables and attempted to perform a strip tease, the party had seemed to reach its natural end point, and everyone had shuffled off to bed. Harry, Louis, Liam, and Niall had stayed in the common room to do a rudimentary tidy up before the house elves came through overnight, and just to spend a little time just the four of them, like they tried to do every year. 

Harry and Louis are sprawled out on opposite ends of one of the red couches, Louis’ legs thrown over Harry’s lap. Niall’s on the floor, leaning back against the sofa, and Liam’s curled up in one of the armchairs, still holding a plate of birthday cake, although he hasn’t been eating it for at least fifteen minutes. He might have actually fallen asleep, Harry reckons, but he can’t see from where he’s sitting and he’s far too comfortable to move and check. 

He reaches out and starts rubbing circles into Louis’ ankle, making the other boy hum contentedly. Louis would make an excellent cat, Harry thinks absentmindedly. He certainly loves being petted, and has a history of crawling into Harry’s lap to demand attention. 

“Happy birthday, Lou,” Harry says, softly. 

“Y’already said that,” Louis says, stifling a yawn. “Or sang it, I suppose. And also, it’s not even my birthday yet. Not for another few days.”

“But still,” Harry says. 

“Still,” Louis echoes, gentle smile tugging at his lips. He digs his toes into the space between the two sofa cushions, displacing Harry’s hand from his ankle in the process. Undeterred, Harry moves it to rest on Louis’ calf instead. He squeezes gently, and Louis hums in approval. 

“Right,” Niall says, startling them both. Harry had kind of forgotten that they weren’t alone, actually. 

“I’m off to bed then, before I fall asleep on this bloody floor - _again_ \- and wake up in the middle of the night to find a house elf trying to _dust_ me. Bloody disconcerting, let me tell you.” 

“Did that actually happen?” 

“Eyes,” Niall says ominously. “Just a pair of big eyes, staring down at me, Harry, and a bloody feather duster trying to polish my socks. While they were still on my feet.” 

Louis cackles, and the sound makes Liam jerk awake in his chair, plate of cake falling to the floor with a thud. 

“Come on, Lima,” Niall says. “Bed time.” 

Niall shepherds Liam towards the staircase up to the boys dormitory, making sure he gets into his bed in his Prefect quarters safely, and then he’s off, giving Harry and Louis a cheerful wave as he climbs out the portrait hole and heads back to his own dormitory. 

“Should we go to bed too?” Harry asks. 

“In a minute,” Louis answers. “I just want to lie here a bit longer, if that’s alright.” 

Harry nods. “‘Course.” 

They’re silent for a minute, just the crackling of the fire in the background. 

“Last holidays, then,” Louis murmurs. 

Harry hums. 

“Merlin, I’m looking forward to seeing the little ones, though,” Louis says. “They sent me a drawing yesterday that they’d done of me playing quidditch with them.” 

“That’s adorable,” Harry says. He loves Louis’ siblings, they’ve all got such strong personalities. Dinners at the Tomlinson house are always entertaining. Which reminds him, actually - 

“Is it still alright if I come and visit on your birthday? I don't want to intrude on your family time, or anything, or - ”

“Don’t be silly,” Louis says. “I would be really, really happy if you came. And besides, you’re basically my family too.”

Harry hides his grin in Louis’ neck. 

“Okay,” he says. “And you still want to tell them about our relationship?” The plan had been to tell Louis’ family together on Christmas Eve - Louis’ birthday - and then tell Harry’s family when Louis came to visit on Boxing Day. 

“Yep,” Louis says. “It’s _definitely_ time to tell our families. Pretty sure my mum knows already, anyway, what with her all-knowing mum senses and all. Yours does too, probably.” 

“Probably,” Harry says. “Our mums are pretty clever.” 

“Exactly,” Louis says. “So it won’t be a big deal, anyway.”

Harry is quite sure there will be a lot of fuss made over them, lots of hugs and mums kissing their heads, and sisters asking nosy questions, but he lets Louis live in his delusion. 

“But what if they don’t approve of me?” he asks. He’s pretty confident that won’t happen, but there’s a tiny little voice in the back of his head that sometimes shouts _what if-s_ at him. _What if_ Louis’ family is disappointed? 

“ _Haz_ ,” Louis says. “My family have literally known you for seven years. You’re invited to every single one of our family gatherings. My family _love_ you.”

“But that’s as your _friend_ ,” Harry says, “not as your - ”

“The love of my life?” Louis says. “The apple of my eye? My _beau_?”

“I was going to say _boyfriend _, but yes.”__

__“Harry,” Louis says, picking up one of Harry’s hands and lacing their fingers together. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you, so mind you act surprised when you see it, but Mum told me in her last letter that she’s made you your own bauble with your name on it to go with ours on the Christmas tree. I know for a fact that the baby twins have both been working for the last week on a special Christmas craft project that they want to give you as a present. You don’t need to worry about my family accepting you, they already have. And they know, just like I do, that you are way too good for me, and I am lucky that you even deign to be seen in the same vicinity as me and my smelly feet, let alone that I get to call you mine.”_ _

__“Shit, Lou,” Harry says, wiping his eyes as he giggles. “Save something for the wedding vows.”_ _

__“Oh, don't you worry, Styles,” Louis says, a tad ominously. “My wedding vows will blow your mind.”_ _

__The fact that he’s just talking about their hypothetical future wedding as if it’s an absolute eventuality is turning Harry on a little bit, if he’s completely honest._ _

__“They’ll be the best vows ever,” Louis’ saying. “Even better than the ones you showed me on your Me-Tube thing last summer, the guy from the muggle band who was singing.”_ _

__“Tom Fletcher,” Harry says. “From McFly.”_ _

__“Yeah, that guy!”_ _

__“And also it’s YouTube, not Me-Tube.”_ _

__“Trivialities,” Louis says. “The _point_ is that my vows are going to be so amazing that someone will make a video of it and then millions of muggles will watch it on their phone thingies and they will all write letters underneath telling me how good of a husband I am and that it’s making them dead, and then I will be a muggle celebrity and then, I don't know, we’ll get free Butterbeer for life, or something.”_ _

__“Sounds like a good, well thought out, flawless plan, Lou.”_ _

__“Thank you, Harold.”_ _

__He crosses his eyes at Harry, and then huffs out a sigh._ _

__“Time for bed, now, I reckon,” he says. “The 3am deliriousness is well and truly setting in.”_ _

__He climbs off the sofa laboriously, and then reaches out a hand to help pull Harry up too. They head up to Louis’ empty dorm together, hand in hand. They had one more full free day tomorrow to rest - read: sleep off their hangovers - and pack before they caught the Hogwarts Express back to London. They fall asleep, cuddled up underneath Louis’ red and gold bedspread, and Harry dreams of McFly performing at his wedding._ _

_....it's all about you, it's all about you, baby..._

__

__***_ _

__

__Harry’s got his rucksack all packed with the things he’ll need to take home with him tomorrow, fully aware that he’ll have to help Louis pack his stuff last minute in the morning before they get on the train._ _

__He has a full wardrobe of muggle clothes back at his mum’s house, and he doesn’t really need to take any of his school things home with him over the break, so his bag is pretty light and zips up with ease. He goes back and checks one more time to make sure that the small, neatly wrapped package is still sitting inside - it is - and then zips the bag back up again, setting it on the foot of his bed._ _

__He and Louis had decided not to get each other any special Christmas gifts this year, nothing beyond the usual Secret Santa gift exchange that they always ran with the other boys in their year, which was fine, but nothing was going to stop Harry from finding Louis the _perfect_ birthday present. _ _

__Louis could be a tricky person to find gifts for, in Harry’s experience. He had very particular tastes, and while he was always very appreciative and grateful for any presents he was given, Harry found a unique kind of joy in finding gifts that Louis genuinely loved, if only to be rewarded with one of those crinkly-eyed smiles and a patented Louis Tomlinson Hug™, a “Thanks, Hazza,” mumbled carefully into his shoulder. Really, when Harry thinks about it, he has no idea how it took him so long to figure out that he was in love with Louis. It certainly explained a lot._ _

__“All packed, then?”_ _

__Harry whirls around, heart pressed to his chest. “Merlin, Lou, you’re seriously going to give me a heart attack, one of these days.”_ _

__Louis grins. He’s in his trackies and a giant Puddlemere United jumper, and he looks so soft and cozy._ _

__Zoe jumps down from Harry’s bed, where she’s been supervising his packing efforts, and immediately twirls around Louis’ ankles. He leans down to pet her, and she rubs her face against his leg, purring loudly. Harry can relate._ _

__Louis picks Zoe up carefully and cradles her against his chest with one hand, pulling Harry in with the other. Harry lets himself be tugged into the hug, grabbing on to the hem of Louis jumper and rubbing it absentmindedly between his fingers. Zoe doesn’t seem to mind being part of the impromptu cuddle fest, resting her head against Louis’ chest and closing her eyes. She’s always had a soft spot for him, right since that first day on the train._ _

__“I assume you haven’t packed?”_ _

__“I’m _almost_ done,” says Louis. _ _

__“Meaning that you thought about doing it, but then you didn’t?”_ _

__“Basically.”_ _

__“So predictable, Tomlinson,” Harry says._ _

__“And you love me,” says Louis._ _

__“I do,” Harry agrees. “Merlin help me.”_ _

__Louis laughs, head tilted back, and Harry is so, _so_ in love with this boy. _ _

__“Hey,” Louis says, interrupting his thoughts. “Look.”_ _

__Harry follows his gaze, and hovering in the air above them, shimmering slightly, is a sprig of mistletoe._ _

__“Now how did that get there, I wonder?”_ _

__“Who knows?” Louis says, still pointing his wand at the ceiling with a cheeky grin on his face. “But now that it’s there, it’d be rude to ignore it, don’t you think?”_ _

__“Oh, yes,” says Harry. “It would be most un-Christmassy.”_ _

__He curls one hand around the back of Louis’ neck, and leans down, Louis rising up on his tip toes slightly to meet him halfway. The kiss starts off chaste, gentle pecks that make their teeth clack together because neither of them can stop grinning. Zoe meows from her spot in Louis’ arms, clearly protesting the lack of attention, and he lets go of Harry for a moment to set her down. She trots off instantly, obviously bored with them. Louis throws his arms around Harry’s neck, kissing him again, this time with more intent. Harry can feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, and he wonders if Louis can feel it too._ _

__“Love you,” he says, trying to catch his breath._ _

__“Love you too,” Louis says, looking up at Harry from under his eyelashes. “Now what do you say we take this to your bed? I’m pretty sure I saw some mistletoe over there too.”_ _

__

__***_ _

__

__If Harry had thought that Niall’s lack of success might have put him off, then he was sorely mistaken, because it seems that after the Christmas holidays, he returns with more determination than ever._ _

__The first _incident_ occurs only two days back into the term. _ _

__Harry’s studying in the library, trying to write an essay for Herbology on the practical uses and modern applications of Fertigal Moss. He’s only gotten three inches written so far, and he’s already hit a mental block. He’s determined to get the other five inches done before he leaves the library for the day, because he promised the boys he’d participate in the “epic” Gobstones tournament they have planned after dinner, and he doesn’t want this assignment hanging over his head._ _

__He heads over to the shelves in search of another book that he thinks might contain the information he needs. He finds it, a giant and dusty tome that makes him sneeze when he pulls it down, and that’s when he notices Niall peering at him from behind a shelf. He’s wearing a newsboy cap and a tragically fake moustache._ _

__“Niall?” Harry asks incredulously. “What are you doing?”_ _

__Realising he’s been spotted, Niall freezes, and then starts pretending to tidy the shelves._ _

__“‘ello, young boy,” he yells, in a terrible accent of indiscernible origin. “I am just clean the shelves here, now I go.”_ _

__“But—” Harry watches, bemused, as Niall scurries out of the library._ _

__From there, it only escalates._ _

__

__***_ _

__

__“Are you going to stay here tonight?” Harry asks, throwing his arm over his face to stifle his yawn._ _

__Louis leans over and plants a soft kiss on his hairline._ _

__“Nah, I’ve got to go,” he says with a sigh. “Niall wants us to “do surveillance” on you tomorrow morning, so I have to be up nice and early.”_ _

__“But I’m literally just going for a run around the lake?” Harry says, bemused._ _

__“Well, I know that, but Niall doesn’t! He thinks you’re sneaking off to meet up with your secret boyfriend.”_ _

__“If only he knew!”_ _

__Louis smirks. “Right then, I’m off.”_ _

__He gives Harry a quick squeeze before leaving him alone in the bed, “Bye, secret boyfriend!” tossed over his shoulder._ _

__Harry grins into his pillow. If he spends a little more time stretching his legs out the next morning, knowing that Louis was hidden in a bush somewhere, watching, then that was entirely his own business._ _

__

__***_ _

__

__“I hate Tuesdays,” Louis moans, dropping his head onto Harry’s shoulder. “We’re basically taking the same subjects this year, how did we manage to get a day where we don’t have a single class together?”_ _

__Harry hums, his eyes shut, and he thinks idly that he could actually fall asleep like this. He feels halfway there already, limbs and eyelids heavy._ _

__After days of drizzling rain keeping them all stuck in the castle, the sun has finally come out to shine, and so they’re taking advantage by spending their lunch hour sunbathing out on the grass by the lake. They’ve stripped off their robes and ties, and Harry’s got his uniform shirt unbuttoned to his navel. Louis keeps on sneaking glances over at his chest when he thinks that Harry’s not looking. Harry thinks it’s cute._ _

__“Seriously,” Louis is saying, “I’ve already had four straight hours with the Hufflepuffs today, and I have two more this afternoon. Did McGonagall have a few too many firewhiskey shots before she did the scheduling this year, or what? How does that even happen?”_ _

__A shadow appears over them, blocking out the sun from Harry’s face._ _

__“Hey, what’s wrong with Hufflepuffs?”_ _

__Harry squints, and sees Niall peering down at him. The other Niall and Liam are standing there too, and they flop down next to Harry and Louis, loosening their own ties._ _

__“Hi guys,” Harry says._ _

__Niall’s still standing, hands on his hips as he watches them._ _

__“You two are together _all the time_ ,” he says. _ _

__“Oh, not on Tuesdays, Nialler,” Louis interjects. “Weren’t you listening to my rant after all?”_ _

__“Seriously,” Niall says, completely ignoring Louis. “How on earth do you manage to have a boyfriend, Harry, when you’re hanging around this twat constantly? Doesn’t your boy mind?”_ _

__“Oi!” says Louis. “I am a joy and a delight.”_ _

__“Of course you are, Lou,” Harry says, patting Louis on the head. Louis growls at him, but he also leans into Harry’s touch. Harry grins, and Niall throws his hands into the air._ _

__“I don’t know why I even bother,” Niall says._ _


	4. Four - Louis

They’ve been sneaking around for months now, and they’ve gotten pretty good at it, if Louis does say so himself, but they both know that their luck is bound to run out at some point. 

What he doesn’t expect is for their luck to run out today. 

It’s a Wednesday afternoon, and he’s got Harry pressed up against the back wall of a broom closet (some things are a cliché for a reason, after all), one hand in his hair and one hand crawling up the back of his rumpled school shirt. 

When Ed opens the door (which apparently they’d forgotten to lock, shit), Louis is just glad that they both still have their trousers on. A few minutes later and Ed might have really gotten an eyeful. 

“Merlin’s arse hairs,” Ed says, eyes wide. 

“Um,” says Harry. “Hi, Ed.”

Louis pulls his hands back, and goes to step away from Harry, but Harry grabs his hand before he can move, twining their fingers together and grinning at Ed, who is hovering in the doorway like he hasn’t fully decided whether he should just shut the door and back away again. 

“This is a surprise,” Ed says, gesturing at the two of them. 

“Is it?” Louis asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“No, not really,” Ed answers quickly, which makes them all laugh. “Are you guys together, now, then, or is this just limited to broom closets?”

Louis bites his tongue to stop himself from making the obvious _definitely not in the closet_ joke.

“We’re boyfriends,” Harry says proudly. “I mean, _secretly_ , but still.” 

“Would you mind keeping this to yourself?” Louis asks. “That me and Harry are together, I mean. We will tell the others, I promise, but we just want to wait until we’re ready.”

“Sure,” Ed says. “Of course.” He mimes zipping his mouth shut. 

“Thanks,” Harry says, squeezing Louis’ hand. 

“Does anybody else know?”

“We told our parents over Christmas,” Louis says. “They did a terrible job of acting like they hadn’t been expecting the news for a while. I guess they figured it out long before either of us did.”

“Or we just weren’t being as subtle as we thought we were,” Harry adds. 

“But nobody at Hogwarts knows yet,” Louis says. “We want to keep it to ourselves for a little longer.” 

“You know Niall’s going to have a field day when he finds out, right?” 

Louis laughs. “Yeah, mate, I reckon he will.” 

“So when did this happen, then?” Ed asks. “ _How_ did this happen?” 

Harry and Louis look at each other. 

“Well,” Louis says. “It’s a long story.” 

 

***

 

The first time that they’d kissed had been an accident. 

Well, as much of an accident as it could have been when they’d both been dancing around each other for months, swapping shy smiles and blushing looks, but both of them too nervous to actually make a move. 

Louis had never felt like more of a sham of a Gryffindor, but while he was always the first person to take up a dare and he wasn’t really scared of much, he still wasn’t brave enough to tell his best friend that he was in love with him. That was proper scary. Not _Harry_ , Harry could never be scary, but Louis wasn’t sure that he would be able to handle it if Harry rejected him. 

They had always been close, had been best friends right from the very start, and their friendship had only gotten more intense as the years went on. They spent holidays visiting at each others houses, and they spent so much time together at school that on one memorable occasion, they had been handed a birthday party invitation addressed to _harryandlouis_ as if they were one person. (Louis still had that invitation, hidden at the bottom of his school trunk.) They had a pretty good circle of close friends, but Harry and Louis had always been on another level. “Kindred spirits,” Harry liked to say, which was apparently a reference to a muggle novel that he liked. 

They’d grown up together from the age of eleven, and so they had seen each other through all kinds of highs and lows and awkward puberty situations. The bright side of this, Louis thinks, is that they’d never have to go through that embarrassing ritual where they brought their partner home to meet their parents, only for their mum to bring out the album of childhood photos as entertainment, because in all of Louis’ most embarrassing photos, Harry was standing right next to him, waving brightly and sporting an even more ridiculous haircut than him.

Louis had been the first person that Harry had come out to, back in fifth year, when he'd realised that he liked boys. He’d told Louis that he was the very first person that he wanted to tell, even before his mum or Gemma. Louis had given him a big hug, and told him that he was great, and then not even two months later he had come out to Harry as well. 

Louis reckons that coming out is always a little bit scary, to crack your heart open and offer up your true self to someone, just hoping that they would still love and accept you when they got to know that new information about you. But he also thinks it was a little bit less terrifying to tell your best friend that you were gay when you knew that they would be supportive, and that they wouldn’t love you any less, considering that they were gay as well. 

So it had been a little disheartening that following Louis’ big revelation, Harry had given him a hug, but then immediately disappeared for the whole afternoon, giving a flimsy excuse of having homework that he needed to get finished. Louis had just been starting to wonder if he’d scared Harry off, if he’d just ruined their friendship once and for all, when Harry had suddenly appeared, levitating a large box in front of him and grinning from ear to ear. He’d opened the box to reveal a huge rainbow cake, which Harry explained he had convinced the house elves to let him bake in the kitchens. 

If Louis had had to hide his face in Harry’s shoulder to cover up the tears in this eyes, then Harry had been kind enough to pretend not to see them. 

They’d taken the cake to share with the boys after dinner. Louis had grandly announced that he liked boys, and Harry had thrown a handful of confetti that he’d apparently been hiding in the pocket of his robes. Liam and Niall had applauded appropriately, and given Louis their congratulations. 

“I always knew you two would get together,” Niall said, making Louis choke on a mouthful of cake. 

“What?” 

“You know,” Niall said, “you two have always been so close you’re practically living inside each others robe pockets, and you basically act like an old married couple anyway. I just figured you hadn’t worked out that you were in love with each other yet, and now you have, and we have cake, and it’s great!”

“ _What?_ ” Louis screeched, making Liam cover his ears. “We’re not _together_.” 

“You’re not?” Liam asked, lowering his hands. 

“No!” 

“He’s right,” Harry chimed in, wrapping his arm around Louis’ waist comfortingly. “We’re not dating.” 

“You do realise the mixed messages you’re sending out, right?” Niall said, raising his eyebrows at the way they were cuddled up. 

“Just because we’re best mates and we’re both gay doesn’t meet we’re automatically dating, you knob!” 

“Sorry!” Niall said, raising his hands in apology. “That was shitty of me. I just thought that was what you were trying to tell us.” 

“You would make a very cute couple,” Liam said, and Louis shoved Harry when he laughed. “Don’t encourage them, Harold.” 

“It’s not our fault if you can’t see what’s right in front of you, Lou,” Niall said. “I can’t wait to say ‘I told you so’ when I make the best man speech at your wedding.” 

“Fat chance,” Louis said, and then they had demolished the rest of the cake. Niall had dropped the subject, but Louis hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. 

It was weird, that two of his best friends were so sure that he and Harry were in love with each other. Sure, Harry was one of Louis’ favourite people in the whole world, and he loved him, but he wasn’t _in love_ with him. He’d never really thought about Harry like that before, but over the next few months, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every time they cuddled up on the sofa together, every time Harry saved him an extra helping of dessert or brought him cups of tea or sat by the window with the light glinting down on his hair _just so_ , Louis kept thinking about it. 

Neither he nor Harry had ever broached the subject, but he was pretty sure Harry had been thinking about it too. Something had changed that day, a tiny shift in their little _HarryandLouis_ bubble. They started to be more delicate with each other, a little shier and more gentle in their motions. Louis would never admit it out loud, but with every passing day he was more and more sure that Niall had been right after all. 

After several months of build up, the whole thing had come to a head over the previous summer. They usually spent as much of the holidays as they could trading off at each others houses, grateful that both of their mothers were always willing to adopt another teenage boy into their household for weeks at a time. 

The summer in between their sixth and seventh years was no different. They’d spent the first few weeks at Louis’, filling up their time playing Quidditch in the back yard and letting Louis’ sisters practice painting their nails. When the weather had started to heat up a bit, they’d switched over to Harry’s house so they could take advantage of the pool. 

The morning it had happened, they’d been lounging out by the side of the pool, which looked the same as it did every year, shiny blue tiles and slightly faded deck chairs sitting beside it. Harry didn’t look the same this year, though. He was wearing the same yellow swim trunks as always, sure, but he’d shot up about six inches since last summer, and so the shorts were _tiny_ now, bordering on obscene, even, the hem resting high up on his thighs, which were shiny with sunscreen. Louis could barely tear his eyes away. He desperately wanted to kiss Harry, and he felt guilty for wanting it. 

With months of pining behind him, Louis blamed the yellow shorts for being the final straw that broke the hippogriff’s back. Pining from afar was one thing, but pining when you spent all your time with the other person was downright unbearable. He hadn’t been able to hold it in anymore, as he was pretty sure he would literally explode if he was forced to spend one more second with Harry Styles without being able to kiss him. 

And so Louis had decided he was going to do just that. He was going to kiss Harry. He had taken a deep breath, and he’d shuffled closer to where Harry was sprawled out on his own deck chair. 

“Hey, Harry?”

“Yeah, Lou?” Harry had said, pulling his sunglasses up into his hair so he could look at him properly. 

“Um,” Louis had started, and then Harry had leaned in and kissed him. Louis had been so shocked that he’d just sat there, frozen, as Harry pressed his lips against his. “Oi,” he’d said indignantly when Harry had pulled back. 

“Oh,” Harry had said, looking stricken. “I, uh. I’m sorry, I - ”

“Wait, no,” Louis had said quickly, leaning in to kiss Harry, properly this time. “I want to kiss you, I promise. I want to kiss you _all the time._ ” He kissed him again, leaning into it. “I was just - ” he had huffed out a breath. “I had just worked up the guts to finally kiss you, that’s all, and then you bloody beat me to it.” 

“Sorry,” Harry had said, not looking sorry at all. “I couldn’t wait anymore.” 

Louis was grinning so hard his cheeks were already starting to hurt. “Me either,” he had said. “I can’t believe you want to kiss me.” 

“And you want to kiss me,” Harry had replied, leaning in to do just that. 

“ _Merlin._ Will you be my boyfriend? Please?”

Harry had laughed, entwining his fingers with Louis’. “Well, since you asked so nicely…” 

“Shut up,” Louis had said, kissing him again. He wasn’t sure he would ever get sick of being allowed to do that. “I’m going to date you so hard, Haz, just you wait.” 

“I can’t wait, boyfriend,” Harry had said, and Louis’ heart had skipped several beats. 

They’d spent the rest of the day - the rest of the summer - kissing and going on dates (which involved them acting just like they normally did but with more kissing) and learning what being in a relationship with each other would actually be like. 

After lots of discussion, they had both decided to keep their blossoming romance a secret, at least for the time being. They both remembered the comments the boys had made when Louis had come out, and if there was one thing Louis Tomlinson hated, it was having to hear someone say “I told you so.” Especially when that someone was Niall Horan. They didn’t want to give their friends the satisfaction, and they wanted to be able to enjoy their relationship in peace. 

 

***

 

“So yeah,” Louis said. “It happened something like that.” 

 

***

 

After the broom closet incident, they try to be a little more careful. 

The fact that they barely have any free time anymore for covert snogging sessions helps, although Louis can’t say he’s very pleased with that development. Besides the ever-growing pile of homework their teachers are giving them to prepare them for their upcoming NEWTs, Harry is kept busy with an extra credit project he’s doing with the Herbology Club, and Louis has been scheduling extra Quidditch practices to make sure that his team is ready for the match against Ravenclaw that’s scheduled to take place in a week’s time. 

They see each other at meal times, of course, and they all still hang out as a group most nights, but their alone time has been drastically reduced for the last few weeks. It’s gotten to the point where Louis is willingly spending time in the library, just so he can spend a little time sitting side by side with Harry as they both work on their individual projects. 

They’ve barely managed to spend the night together at all lately, a combination of conflicting schedules and nosy dorm mates, and Louis is sick of spending every night tossing and turning, all alone in his four poster bed. He sleeps much better when he has Harry beside him, limbs tangled together under the covers, and his mood has definitely been suffering with his boyfriend’s absence. 

 

***

 

Louis’ been face down on the desk for ten whole minutes before Liam finally cracks, presumably sick of Louis’ sporadic and very dramatic moaning. 

He sighs, with all the airs of someone who has been dealing with Louis’ antics for going on seven years now, and he sets his quill down neatly next to his half-finished essay. 

“What’s got your want in a knot, then?” 

“Nothing,” says Louis, just to annoy Liam further. 

Liam glares at him, eyebrows furrowed, and Louis huffs out a breath. 

“I’m bored,” he says. 

“Why don’t you work on your Charms essay, then?” Liam suggests, gesturing to the mostly blank piece of parchment sitting in front of him. 

“I’m not bored enough to do _that_ , Lima.” 

“Of course,” Liam says, rolling his eyes. “Why don’t you go find Harry? He always seems to be able to entertain you.” 

If only you knew, Louis thinks wryly. 

“He’s _busy_ ,” he whines. “He ran off somewhere after breakfast.” 

“Probably with his boyfriend, then,” Liam says. He crosses out something carefully in the middle of his essay. 

Louis makes a grumbly noise, and puts his head back on the desk. 

“Maybe you should get a boyfriend, too, Lou,” Liam says, and Louis gives him the finger. 

“Seriously, though. How come you haven’t dated anyone in ages? Harry’s got his secret bloke, whoever he is, why don’t you go out and find someone nice too?” 

“I’m fine,” Louis mumbles into the desk. “Thank you for your concern.” 

He gives himself five more minutes of feeling sorry for himself, and then he picks up his quill and makes a begrudging start on his essay. If he can’t be with Harry, he can at least be productive. 

 

***

 

Saturday afternoon finds Louis curled up on an armchair in the Gryffindor common room, cosy with a red and gold throw blanket covering his legs and wearing the knitted socks Liam had given him in their Secret Santa exchange - Liam was nothing if not a practical gift giver - and flicking through his battered copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ for the thousandth time. 

He was trying in vain to find some kind of new manoeuvre they could use to get an advantage in their match against Ravenclaw. The Ravenclaw team had two new beaters this year, a pair of fourth year brutish types, the kind that had shoulders so broad they looked like they might tip off their brooms given the slightest nudge. They weren’t particularly fast, and Louis was hoping to create a game plan that would give their own (quite speedy, if he did say so himself) team an edge. What Ravenclaw might lack in speed and technique, though, they made up for in strategy and planning, and so Louis was studying. 

He’s scribbling a note to himself on a spare scrap of parchment when a shadow suddenly appears, blocking out his light and startling him, making him blot ink everywhere. Niall’s laughing at him, and Louis huffs, trying to siphon away the worst of the spill with his wand. 

“Bit jumpy there,” Niall says. 

“Well, if you weren’t always bloody sneaking up on me…” 

“Nah, that’s half the fun,” Niall says. “Anyway, I have a question to ask you.” 

“And what’s that?” Louis puts his ink and quill away, realising that he’s got going to get any more work done now. 

“It’s about Harry’s boyfriend,” Niall says. 

“Oh?” Louis says, trying to play it cool. 

“Yeah, the other Niall and I were thinking, and - ”

“You’ve dragged the other Niall into this, too?” 

Niall shrugs. “Yep. And we were thinking that he must be a Ravenclaw.”

“On what basis?” Louis laughs. 

“Well, that’s the only house we don’t really have a lot of friends in. If he was disappearing with someone we knew, then surely we would notice.”

Louis is struggling to keep a straight face. 

“Hmmm,” he says. “Yeah, I can see what you’re thinking.” 

He can’t wait to tell Harry about this later. 

“So, what with the Ravenclaw match coming up,” Niall continues, “I was wondering if you had any suspects.” 

“No,” says Louis. “But I’ll keep an eye out.” 

“Cool,” says Niall, and then there’s a thump from behind them. They both turn around just in time to watch as Harry comes stumbling through the portrait hole, carrying Zoe in his arms. 

Niall gives Louis a meaningful look, which he ignores. 

“Hi, Haz,” Louis says, already reaching out for Zoe. Harry laughs as he lets his cat down, watching as she immediately jumps onto Louis’ lap and starts rubbing her head against his jumper. “And hi to you too, little miss,” he says, rubbing behind her ears. 

“Someone has a favourite,” Harry says. 

“Oi,” Niall says. An empty chocolate frog wrapper hits Louis in the head a moment later. 

“Aww,” Louis says, reaching over to pet Niall on the head. “You’re my favourite, too, Nialler.” 

Niall grumbles under his breath, but he leans into Louis’ hand anyway. 

Harry plops down on the carpet in front of the armchair, leaning back against Louis’ legs. “So what are you guys up to?” he asks. “Studying again?” He holds up Louis’ copy of _Quidditch Through The Ages_ , which had been knocked to the ground with all the fuss. 

“Mmmhm,” Louis says. “The eagles are going down.” 

“Excellent,” Harry says. 

Niall nods in agreement. “Yeah, I have five galleons on Gryffindor winning, so no pressure, Lou.” 

 

***

 

They win the match, 170-60. 

Louis makes sure he congratulates his team, praising them for all their hard work, and then while everyone is distracted making plans for their victory party, he ducks out of the locker room unseen. He hasn’t even bothered changing out of his Quidditch uniform, and now that the adrenaline rush is tapering off, he can feel the sweaty robes sticking unpleasantly to his skin. He’s sure that he doesn’t smell the best, either, but that won’t be a problem with what he has planned. 

He finds Harry waiting for him behind the stands, right where he’d told him to meet him. Harry pulls him in right away, sweaty robes and all, and kisses him soundly. 

“Congratulations,” he says. “Best captain ever.”

Louis snorts. “Don’t let Finley hear you say that, or he’ll have you kicked off the team for treason.” 

“Eh,” Harry shrugs. “He’s not nearly as cute as you, so.” 

“Is that right?”

“You’re just fishing for compliments, now,” Harry says, pressing a soft kiss on Louis’ jaw. “I know your game.” 

“Guilty,” Louis says. “Now come on, I want to get out of these robes.” 

“Ooh, now that’s a plan I can get behind.” 

“Not like that, Styles, honestly, get your mind out of the gutter.” 

Harry raises a single eyebrow at him. 

“Okay, a little bit like that,” he says, making Harry cackle. “Let’s just go.” 

He leads Harry quickly up into the castle and through the still-deserted hallways. They climb the stairs up to the fifth floor, and Louis is counting the doors carefully, because he’s only been here once before. They reach the statute of Boris the Bewildered, and Louis counts four doors to the left and then stops. 

“This is it,” he says. 

“The prefects’ bathroom?” Harry asks. 

“Yep,” says Louis with a grin. “It is a stunning oversight on my part that we’ve never taken advantage of this room before. Got to make the most of my captaincy perks, and all that.” 

“Oh yes,” says Harry seriously. “You know that I’m only with you for the bathroom privileges.” 

Louis rolls his eyes. 

“Is it true that the bath has hundreds of different taps?” Harry asks, looking excited at the prospect. 

“Why don’t we go in so you can see for yourself?” Louis suggests. _“Crystal clear,”_ he says, and the door opens. 

He lets Harry enter the room first, so he can follow behind him and watch as he takes everything in. 

“This is amazing,” Harry breathes, running his hand over the jewel encrusted taps. 

“The best part is nobody else can come in here while we’re using it,” Louis says. “The room is designed to give us total privacy.” 

“Privacy, huh? Whatever shall we do with that?” 

“How about a bath, for starters?” Louis says, biting down on a grin. “Do you want to choose the taps?”

Harry nods, and Louis lets him go for it, moving around the edges of the bath and carefully considering each of his choices. 

The bath fills very quickly, considering it’s basically a small swimming pool, and within minutes Louis has Harry tucked up against his side, clothes abandoned in a pile on the tiled floor. Harry’s already made friends with the mermaid in the stained glass window, who had flicked her tail and disappeared with a wink once Harry and Louis had gotten in the bath. 

“Maybe I should get a mermaid tattoo,” Harry muses, holding up his arm to inspect it. “What do you think, Lou?” 

“Sure, baby,” Louis says. “That would look nice.” 

“ _This_ is so nice,” Harry says, dragging his fingers through a pile of cotton candy-scented foam. 

Louis hums in agreement, leaving over to give Harry a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “I’ve missed you,” he whispers. “I’m so happy to be here with you right now.” 

“In this ridiculously big magical bath,” Harry says. 

“In this ridiculously big magical bath,” Louis agrees. 

Harry smiles. “Love you, Lou.” 

“I love you too,” he says, pulling one hand out of the water so he can grip Harry’s jaw and kiss him properly, tiny bubbles dripping down his neck. 

Harry kisses him back enthusiastically for a while, and then pulls back. “When’s the next Hogsmeade weekend?” he asks. 

“Um,” says Louis. His brain is a little foggy right now, but he sifts through his mental calendar. “Next weekend, actually, I think. Why?” 

“Wanna come with me to get a new tattoo?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think :)  
> The rest is coming soon.


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